Monday, August 11, 2008

Kids Say the Darndest Things...And Damn If they Don't Know A Lot!

Sending the Jonas Boys & the the folks in dBloggville kisses

So I spent the weekend with my 8-year-old Niece Livvy, (sometimes called Olivia or O-blivia, depends on my mood - and hers) who will be 9 in September. She flew in from the “wild west” with my brother, (her Dad) to visit the family.To put it mildly, Livvy is a pistol: A.K.A., a piece of work, a TOTAL TRIP. She’s turning 9 in September, but I’d say she’s really 8 and 11 months going on 17. Very hip, very funny, and dare I say, quite the Tweener in training! We went to dinner, and the beach, where she showed off her expert boggie boarding skills. She was quite the pro for a girl born in the Mountains. We played with Photo Phone Booth on my MAC (you're actually seeing a very small portion of the photos in this post), and went to Lucy The Elephant & sat a top her howdah. We actually named the freckles on one another's faces - she has 5 and I have around 100 - all named Livvy.

I introduced her to Mad TV, which she now loves – sorry mom & dad, good comedy has no age limits!We had lots of girl talk, which mostly involved Livvy talking about her favorite Singers and crushes. She knows every Hannah Montana episode/song verbatim and is a HUGE FAN of The Brothers Jonas! We spent way too much time looking those boys up on the Internet, and Livvy actually taught me who was who.

To quote my darling O-blivia:“Nick is the cute and sensitive one and he has diabetes (like you Kel,) - He even wrote a song about diabetes. He was in the movie Camp Rock! He is my favorite,and I love him.

Joe is the cute funny one. Joe is the star of the movie Camp Rock! He is the middle kid and he’s too old for me to love. He also looks like my cousin Anton.

Kevin is the cute romantic one. Kevin is the oldest. He is also too old for me to love. He was in the movie Camp Rock!

I love the Jonas Brothers – THEY ARE SOOOO AWESOME! THEY TOTALLY ROCK!!”

Like I said, LIVVY IS A TRIP.

Liv was also very interested in learning about all things diabetes. She knew it ran in our family, and that her favorite JB had been diagnosed with it as well.Liv: “Can diabetes be cured?"

Me: "Nope."

Liv: "I thought the insulin in your pump fixed it."Me: "The insulin in my pump I take is to survive, but the organ in my body that makes insulin (the pancreas) doesn’t work. That part that is supposed to make insulin, (The Islet of Langerhans) is damaged & doesn't work anymore.I have to inject hourly with my pump and change the site every few days. I also take my blood sugar’s all the time, like when we had our treats earlier and when we have dinner later."

Liv: "Kelly, will I get diabetes someday?'

Me: "I don’t know, I hope not. It runs in the family, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get it."Liv: "Oh, so you mean it’s ‘in the genes”, like our sense of humor and my red hair?'

Me: "Yes, exactly (OK, on a side note, "It's in the genes" is family saying regarding both diabetes and our occasional flakiness - obviously this kid has a mind like a steal trap - she forgets nothing!) How’d you get so smart?"

Liv: "Me? Oh, I know a guy… But what if I do get diabetes Kel?"

Me: "Then you’ll deal with it every day 24 X 7, wear your pump, take your blood sugars, and have a great life. Diabetes or not, someone is always worse off that you."

Me: "Yeah, so do somewhere between 1.7 million to 3 million other folks have it as well."Liv: " WOW. Hey, Do you know him? I’M JOKING Kel."

Me: "No, I know of him – I’M TOTALLY SERIOUS Liv."

Now, I’m sure this comes as no shock to you, but Livvy is a total Disney Channel freak. Which means that we spent a lot of time watching Hannah Montana and using the “On Demand” feature to watch Hannah Montana AGAIN AND AGAIN. Livvy would act out each scene for my viewing pleasure. I don’t “get” the Hannah Montana thing, and I told her so. She still thought she could convert me, and I let her try.

Ironically about an hour after our JB conversation, while watching the dreaded d (Disney) channel, we were privy to a behind the scenes Rockumentry about The Jonas Brothers.They actually featured a good bit of time on Nicks Diabetes. Viewers watched Nick take his blood sugar - his target range is 178, but he’d been 400 earlier in the day. Personally, I liked the fact that they showed the blood sugar roller coaster ride, especially among hormonal teens. From what the parents in dblogville have taught me, blood sugars and hormones make for a bumpy ride at times. NJ also showed us his “Pod,” (Omni Pod must have LOVED THAT) and talked about counting carbs and taking blood sugars in between sets.

The Jonas family was also interviewed about dealing with Nick’s diabetes. It was really quite good, and very interesting.Many a citizen of dBlogville has written about The Brothers J – Nick in particular, and all of us in dBlogville know that Nick wrote a song about diabetes, “A Little Bit Longer”.Livvy knew every word and sang along – VERY PROFESSIONALLY, AND VERY LOUDLY. She also kept saying (VERY LOUDLY) “This song’s about diabetes Kel, LISTEN…LISTEN! KELLY THIS SONG IS SPEAKING YOUR LANGUAGE…. LISTEN”

So I did.

Near the end of the program, Nick was backstage, talking to children with diabetes, slapping them “5,” shaking hands, & telling them it would be “OK.” Then, he gave them each a pin.Now, I’m not sure if they were special t1 Jonas Brother pins, or just JB pins in general, but I’m sure those kids were shaking in their boots. Livvy was, and she was watching in her grandmother’s living room.The kids backstage all wore insulin pumps, they all loved Nick, and one little boy who was spoke for the group said, ‘ Nick inspired them regarding their diabetes.’

I have to say, I was impressed how open he was regarding diabetes, & how he took the time to explain his daily routine, etc. But what really impressed me was how strongly the children with diabetes reacted to him. I’ve never been on the Hannah Montana bandwagon, but I’ll tell you what folks. l give the Jonas family a lot of street cred for spreading the word about the Big D, and I’m not talking Disney.Musically, I like the song he wrote regarding diabetes, and yes, those boys can put on a show! While, I am in no way the caliber fan that Liv is, I do respect Nick as a Diabetic spreading the word, and the Jonas brothers as performers who are blessed that they get to do what they love, daily.The doc was over and we needed to get ready for dinner. Neither one of us moved off the couch, and Livvy had her arm around me and her head on my shoulder.“Kel, ”she said and looked up at me smiling with her big hazel eyes and pretty smile.’

”Yes, O-blivia.”

“If I do get Diabetes (I mean I really don’t want to get it,) but if I do Kel, IT’S OK. I mean, you and Nick have it, and you guys are doing great. It could always be worse. I told you my friend had cancer.”

Me looking her square in those big hazel eyes: “That’s a great attitude Livvy, but I’m hoping and praying you never have too deal with Diabetes – EVER.”Livvy: “Me too. I love you Kel & I miss not seeing you!!!!!"Me: 'I love you too O-blivia….And I miss you something awful!!!!!"

Karen - Livvy - O-blivy left me speechless many times this weekend. She has an older brother & sister who are equally as fabulous and talented.I am so blessed to have 11 outstanding nieces and nephews who are each wonderfully talented and unique individual pieces of art.And all of them are funny to boot!

G-Ninja,Thanks for the compliment and yes, Livvy is an absolutely amazing gift! So your daughter is a Disney fan as well? I'm sure you know all the songs and stories. Do they every get over the Hannah Montana phase?

Carey - Thanks. Yes, O-blivia is very cool!She had me cracking up all weekend.She also gave me more squeezes than Charmin tissue ever got!k2

I'll be spending this weekend with my niece Kaity (the great Kait), who is 15 and just got her learner's permit. We'll be shopping, driving around the block several times and checking her Facebook page. And by the way? She's been a HUGE Jonas Bros. fan for years (before the Disney Channel) and is still hoping and praying that Nick grows another six inches (she's tall for her age) so she can marry him. I'd say if Olivia is in love with the Jonas Brothers, she's probably got a while to go before she outgrows him... Fair warning! (I've been to the year 3000... (JB song)).

Lora - I can deal with Jonas Brothers - I respect them- and yes they sure can put on a show. It's the whole Hannah Montana thing that drives me nuts!Hope you and "Kait the Great," have a really wonderful weekend together!It sounds like you and her have a very special relationship!Total props to you for knowing JB songs! I need to start listening to them more. I have a feeling Livvy will want to discuss, and sing them to me. I'm cool with that!k2

Aw that post was really fun to read! Your niece sounds like she has a lot of fun with you and is a huge fan of the Jonas Brothers! I am too! :) They are great role models though, and their new cd is wonderful! My twin sister just bought it today, we can't stop listening, i love his song about diabetes, i play that one over and over. :)

Great blog though, i had to tell you! I'm adding you to my blogroll over at curemoll. :) Have a great night!! :]

Mollie - Welcome to Diabetesalicious, and thanks for stopping by!Yes Livvy is awesome and a total JB fan, as are many folks - including you and your sister. Seems as if live is Livv is in some very good company ;)I'm glad that you stopped by and am very happy to hear that Diabetesaliciousness is being added to your blog roll. THANKS!k2

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Kelly's intimate knowledge of living with diabetes makes her the perfect person to poke fun at all of our little eccentricities. If laughter really is the best medicine, then Kelly should be nominated for Sturgeon General."Gary Scheiner - Certified Diabetes Educator, Owner & Operator of Integrated Diabetes Services, Author of "You Can Control Diabetes" and "How to Think Like A Pancreas."Marx Brothers Fan for life, T1 for 20 years .

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